Writer Robert Stone hung out with the Beats in New York in the 1950s, and was a member of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters in California in the 1960s. Later, he was a war correspondent in Vietnam, an experience which inspired his acclaimed novel "Dog Soldiers." Stone joins us in the studio to discuss his new collection of short stories, "Fun with Problems."
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Robert Stone, author, former war correspondent and winner of the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award
More Info:
- About the book "Fun with Problems" : at Amazon.com

Toyota is moving forward with recalls of several million cars, including the Prius for sticky accelerators and brake problems. There has been some confusion among owners about whether to stop driving their cars immediately, or whether it's okay to use them until the dealer fixes them. We talk with a mechanic and an automotive journalist about the recall.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Edward Lapham, executive editor of Automotive News

The Farallon Islands, vaguely discernible on the horizon west of San Francisco, are home to huge seabird colonies and a wealth of animal life. We talk with Bay Area experts about the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, created by President Theodore Roosevelt over 100 years ago, and about the sharks, whales and ocean life surrounding it.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Gerry McChesney, acting manager of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge
- Maria Brown, superintendent of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
- Russ Bradley, Farallon program manager with PRBO Conservation Science (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory)
More info:
- Los Farallones blog : an account of the trials and tribulations of conducting ecological fieldwork from PRBO Conservation Science on Farallon National Wildlife Refuge
- About the book "The Farallon Islands: Sentinels of the Golden Gate" : at Amazon.com
- About the book "Seabirds of the Farallon Islands" : at Amazon.com
- Farallon Islands Timeline : from QUEST.
- Watch the QUEST TV episode "The Farallon Islands" : plus web extras.

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This week marks the 31st anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's return to Tehran after 15 years in exile. Usually marked by triumphant rallies, this time protests are expected for the anniversary. In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has also just announced its intentions to begin processing its uranium stockpile to a higher level of enrichment.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Burton Richter, Nobel laureate, professor emeritus of physical sciences at Stanford University, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute of International Studies and former director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
- Mahmood Monshipouri, associate professor of international relations at San Francisco State University

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Stewart Brand helped define the 1960s counterculture with his "Whole Earth Catalog." Now he's angered some on the left with a new book, "Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto," which endorses nuclear power and genetic engineering. Brand joins host Michael Krasny in the studio.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Stewart Brand, author, founder and president of The Long Now Foundation and co-founder of the Global Business Network
More info:
- About the book "Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto" : at Amazon.com

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Some half a million people are streaming from the countryside back into the shattered Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and some local officials say that's complicating efforts to rebuild the city. We talk about the human cost of the disaster with rescue workers, doctors and others who've just returned from Haiti.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Max Blanchet, vice chair of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, former president of the U.S. Board of Fonkoze and a local Haitian-American activist
- Melanie Brooks, emergency team officer for Care USA
- Paul Auerbach, professor of surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center who went to Haiti with four other Stanford doctors
- Steven Lockhart, chief medical officer for East Bay Sutter Health who went to Haiti with a group of doctors and nurses from Sutter Health
More info:
- How you can help Haiti : links to charities, resources and more at KQED.org

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